


if you just take off your mask

by betheproof



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Thieves, Enemies to Friends, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, also the side Ziam is pretty minor, in that order, the enemies part is brief because these boys are incapable of hating each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 20:18:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1912416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betheproof/pseuds/betheproof
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are two boys and there is one diamond, but it’s not really what it sounds like. Also known as the one where Louis is a master criminal who steals pretty things, and Harry is the pretty thing who ends up stealing Louis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	if you just take off your mask

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boyfrombradford](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyfrombradford/gifts).



> Alrighty so the prompt called for a thief AU where Louis and Harry are the world’s best thieves who fall in love while they compete to steal the same item. I tweaked it a little bit, but I hope this fulfills that desire! 
> 
> Disclaimer: the method for the diamond heist was borrowed from the film Ocean's Twelve, as well as a few other little details, so all credit to the writers and filmmakers of that production. Also, this is a work of fiction, and does not in any way reflect reality.
> 
> [Louis voice] A massive, massive thank you to everyone who helped me through editing, words of encouragement, or just hearing me bitch and moan about this for weeks on end. In particular, I want to thank Megan for the speedy beta work and general hand-holding throughout this affair. Thanks as well to Louise for keeping me motivated and letting me know when my ideas sucked and when they didn't. Finally, thanks to Kai for being my constant cheerleader, and for being the first real reader of this fic. Title is from Robbers by The 1975 because apparently I love clichés.

Louis doesn’t like rain. Sure, it provides the opportunity for a warm cup of tea, but it usually means a day confined indoors. There is nothing Louis Tomlinson hates more than staying put.

After two weeks in the dry heat of Dubai, though, even Louis could use a little British shower.

For the millionth time since his arrival in the city, he reminds himself he is there for a reason. A very good reason, in fact. A very good, very _profitable_ reason. Namely, to steal the largest diamond in the world.

In all his thieving years, this heist will definitely be the pinnacle of Louis’ career. He remembers the day he decided to do it. It was about a month ago, in the London flat he shared with Niall when they were in between jobs (rented under aliases, of course). The day had been a lazy one, spent lounging on the couch and picking at the box of pizza as well as the containers of Chinese takeout because Niall had insisted on ordering both for “cultural diversity.” Louis has known Niall since childhood, but he still doesn’t understand what goes on in that fluffy, blond head of his.

As the TV droned on, Niall let out a long sigh. “I’m _bored_.”

“Well, change the channel, then,” Louis reasoned. “Who watches the news, anyway?”

Normally, that would get at least a chuckle from Niall, but even his biggest fan wasn’t having it that day. “I meant, like, existentially. It’s been ages since we pulled a job, Lou. When are we getting back into it?”

If he was being honest, Louis shared Niall’s sentiment. It had just been rather slow lately; no target that had been suggested by his friends felt worth the effort. Louis wanted something big, something significant. He’s not even in this for the money, he just craves the rush it gives him when they walk away with their take. So really, he knew how Niall felt. He just didn’t know how to fix it yet.

As if by some twist of fate, something the newscaster was saying made Louis perk up. It seemed Niall picked up on it as well, because they both sat up and tried to catch the topic of discussion. Something about an upcoming auction for an item that had people everywhere fighting for the first bid.

Suddenly, an image of the largest [diamond](http://worldlatest.net/files/2013/09/4220.jpg) Louis had ever seen appeared on the screen. The newscaster called it the Winston diamond: nearly 300 carats of pristine clarity, sought after by jewelers and collectors across the world. It belonged to a family of noblemen and had been passed down for generations, but the current holding member had decided to auction it to fund his new business enterprise. Louis tuned out the details of that affair, but his eyes remained glued to the precious stone. His mind was already in motion, contemplating the difficulty of pinching such a prized item. It would be difficult, surely, but he felt confident that his team could handle it. He just had to get them on board. Liam might be hard to sway, he always objected to the riskier jobs, but if he got Zayn on his side, they’d be home free …

He was startled from his thoughts when Niall gripped his thigh. “That’s it, Louis! It’s fate! Can we steal it, please, can we?” His accent always got thicker when he was excited, and Louis couldn’t help but grin at the expectant look on the Irish boy’s face. Louis pretended to consider it as Niall looked ready to explode next to him. At last, he shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, alright. Let’s steal the Winston diamond.” Niall immediately launched from his seat like a rocket and let out a joyful whoop as Louis smiled on, already tapping on his phone to call Zayn.

It took lots of coaxing, but they finally managed to get Liam to approve the heist. Nevertheless, he insisted that their plan needed to be airtight in order for them to succeed. This was always the most frustrating aspect of Louis’ friendship with Liam: knowing that he had to surrender some control to the more sensible boy, yet struggling to determine just how much control he would give up. The logical part of Louis knows Liam is right, that it would be unwise to rush into things without a strategy. But no matter how much this is reinforced through experience, there will always be that reckless, somewhat arrogant part of him that just wants to burst in and figure it all out as he goes along.

That being said, Louis knows the dangers of this life, and he knows Liam’s way keeps them safe. It’s why he lets Liam secure their phones so they can never be tracked or even hacked, and it’s why he generally agrees to keep a low profile whenever they are on site for a job. Louis does have limits, though, and they are definitely reached when Liam tries to instate a ban going out the night before they plan to steal the diamond.

“C’mon, Liam, live a little!” Louis complains loudly as soon as Liam makes the announcement. “We haven’t gotten you properly smashed in ages, and besides, the auction isn’t until tomorrow evening. We’ll have plenty of time to recover!”

Liam pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh he uses specifically when Louis is being difficult. “Need I remind you, Louis, that this is the biggest job we’ve ever pulled? I need you focused for this! We _all_ need to be focused.”

“What I need to focus on is some alcohol,” Niall grumbles from where he is sprawled on the couch. Louis snaps in agreement.

“Exactly! _Thank you,_ Nialler.” He turns to Zayn, hoping once again to sway him to their side so he can then persuade Liam. Seeming to sense his next move, Zayn raises an eyebrow, but indulges Louis anyway.

Placing a hand on Liam’s shoulder, Zayn addresses him sweetly. “Babes, you’ve been working really hard. We all have. Wouldn’t it be nice to let loose a bit?”

The way Liam’s eyes narrow show he isn’t falling for his boyfriend’s innocent act, but he seems to resign himself anyway. “Alright, fine, we can have a night out.” Pleased to get their way, Louis and Niall exchange a high-five, while Zayn plants a gentle kiss on Liam’s cheek, which softens the crease between the latter boy’s eyebrows. “There is one condition, though,” Liam announces, and his tone shows that he will not be swayed on the matter. “We go over everyone’s part of the plan one more time.”

“Seriously? Again?” Louis groans once more. “We’ve been over this a million times, Li, must we really—”

“Yes. We must.”

“Well, aren’t we bossy tonight.”

“ _Louis_.”

One more huff. “Okay, fine,” he concedes, and they repeat the same steps they’ve been perfecting for days now. It’s a simple plan, really, almost juvenile, but sometimes simplicity is the best way to go. Too many twists and turns allow for more mistakes, and Louis likes to keep things straightforward. Early on, Liam had determined that the vault housing the diamond until the auction was too difficult to break into, so they decided to swoop in during the auction when the diamond would be on display. They would cause a distraction by momentarily cutting the power to the hotel, then snatching the gem during the confusion. However, in order to ensure they could escape without detection, Liam had managed to create a holographic image of the diamond that would fool people as long as they didn’t look too closely. By the time anyone caught on, the boys would have made their exit and they’d be home-free.

Once they have sufficiently rehashed the process, Liam lets them go. “Just be careful, lads, alright?” he pleads somewhat warily, shooting Louis a meaningful glare. Louis points to himself in a _who, me?_ gesture, to which Liam rolls his eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I mean, Tommo. Don’t drink too much, and lay low, for the love of God. The last thing we need is a slip of the tongue to land us all in jail.”

“Are you not coming out, Li?” Zayn frowns at him in concern.

“Nah, think I’ll stay here. But you go out, love, I think it’ll be good for you.” When Zayn still appears uncertain, Liam nods encouragingly.

“Wey hey, look alive, Z!” Niall yells enthusiastically. “I found a club in town that’s supposed to be the best. We’re gonna have a blast, boys!”

Once the three boys are ready to go, they say their goodbyes to Liam and head out. As he is about to close the door, Louis hears a shout behind him.

“Hang on a minute, Lou!”

He looks back at the familiar concerned expression on Liam’s face. “Whatever you do, don’t go to the JET, okay?” he warns, referring to the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, where the auction will be held tomorrow. Louis sighs internally. One thing about working with your best mates is that they anticipate your every move. Louis has a history of spending too much time around the location of a heist before they actually move in. It’s just a thing for him, he likes to familiarize himself with such places. It makes him feel more confident about a job. Even so, they’ve had some close calls in the past when he was almost recognized, which is why Liam keeps a tighter leash on him now. Hovering in the doorway, Louis winks exaggeratedly at his friend.

“You act like you don’t trust me, Payne.”

“I trust sober Louis. Drunk Louis? Not so much.”

 _Drunkenly confess your plans to steal a Rembrandt_ one _time and you never hear the end of it_ , Louis thinks bitterly. It worked out in the end, anyway; he only told a few people in the bar, and none of them took him seriously. By the time the police got wind of it, they were long gone, though Liam still brought it up at times like thesee.

“Don’t worry, Liam,” he assures. “I’ll have the other boys around to keep me in check. You might not have faith in me, but I’m sure you have faith in your _lover_.” Louis drags the last word out in a sing-song voice, which finally makes Liam crack a smile.

Waving him off, Liam half-grumbles, “Get out of here then. Just remember, your phone has a tracking device! I’ll be watching your every move.”

Refusing to deign that with a response, Louis merely blows him a kiss and scurries off after Zayn and Niall. Little does Liam know that Louis has taught himself how to remove said tracking device from his phone, as well as to reconfigure the settings so he could not be found via satellite either. He doesn’t have anything malicious planned, he just craves alone time before pulling a job. Having the other boys around only fuels his nerves, and the energy buzzing in his veins can only be calmed by a night alone drinking in a certain forbidden hotel. Screw Liam, Louis lives life on the edge.

Once they get to Niall’s club, the nightlife is just emerging. Louis sticks around for a while, then decides to make his escape. He knows if he tells Zayn where he is going, he will inevitably blab to Liam. Can’t begrudge a man his loyalties. Hence, Louis gets Niall on his own and tells him that he’s off. Niall doesn’t look at all surprised; again, Louis does this a lot. Wordlessly, he holds out a hand, and Louis grins as he puts the extracted tracking device in Niall’s palm.

The younger boy looks uncharacteristically serious for a minute. “I’m doing this because I love ya,” he tells Louis. “And because I know you need it, but don’t think I won’t invoke the wrath of Liam if I think something’s gone wrong.” He wags a finger at him. “Don’t be reckless, mate!”

Louis’ eyebrows climb toward his hairline. “Please, Niall. In my twenty-five years of living, when have I ever been reckless?” He adopts his most angelic expression, batting his eyelashes for good measure. He’s been told they are among his best features. Niall punches him playfully in the arm.

“Get outta here before I change my mind.”

A while later, Louis finally finds himself in the [lobby lounge of the JET Hotel](https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/jumeirah-emirates-towers/restaurants_bars/lobby-lounge/), perusing a copy of The Times he wrangled from the bartender for some light reading, as well as taking occasional sips from some cocktail he ordered on a whim. Usually he sticks to beer and sometimes even bourbon, but tonight he feels like enjoying something more festive. Overall, the place is quite posh, a very good place to relax and get a tiny bit plastered on his own. Although he wouldn’t be completely opposed to some company, he thinks upon spotting a good-looking guy eyeing him from a bit further down the bar. Louis pretends not to notice, but he smiles down at his newspaper. It’s not like he is looking to pull the night before a job, but it doesn’t sound like the worst way to let off some steam. He knows Liam wouldn’t approve one bit, but honestly, if he wanted to keep watch over him, he should have ventured out with them tonight. Anything he gets up to is Liam’s fault, as far as Louis is concerned.

The man at the bar is still checking him out while seemingly unaware that he is returning the favor, albeit in a less detectable manner. Louis has perfected the art of watching others without them knowing it. He subtly shifts himself in his seat to present himself in the best angle possible. There isn’t really a seductive way to read the newspaper, but Louis’ hoping his skin-tight trousers will get the job done.

Before long, a figure appears in Louis’ peripheral, deep voice ringing out while he skims the front page.

“Anything interesting in the headlines today?”

_Hook, line, and sinker._

Trying hard not to smirk, Louis keeps his eyes trained on the paper. He doesn’t want to appear too eager, after all. Instead, he makes a noncommittal noise. “The usual doom and gloom, I suppose. Dunno how the journos do it, I’d off myself if I had to report this shit day in and day out.”

He isn’t quite expecting the bark of laughter he receives as a response, and it is that sound that makes Louis finally glance up. Taking in his new companion, Louis decides he definitely underestimated his attractiveness. Though he is standing as Louis remains seated, he most likely still towers over Louis on a level plane; creamy skin and eyes so sparkly and green make him look more like a classic painting than a human. But he might be projecting due to his, ah, line of work. The stranger’s unruly hair is somewhat tamed by a silk scarf tied around his head, but some curls hang loose in a way that inexplicably makes Louis want to tug on them. And not even in a sexual way (although he wouldn’t exactly mind doing that), but rather in a way one might with a small child who has just done something endearing. That is the first sign of trouble.

“It isn't all bad, though,” the stranger points out. “Did you see the piece about the Winston diamond?”

And that is the second sign. It could be completely coincidental that the only other British lad outside of his group that Louis has encountered in Dubai has mentioned the very thing that brought him here, but he decides to play dumb to be safe.

“Diamond?” Louis repeats, taking on a confused tone. “I don’t think I got that far. Why don’t you buy me a drink and tell me about it?” Louis definitely puts the _smooth_ in _smooth criminal_.

The stranger chuckles again, but flags the bartender down obligingly. “I’m Harry, by the way,” he offers, unbidden. Louis rather thinks it suits him.

“No surname, then?” Louis teases rather than supplying his own name. Harry seems to notice the omission but, rather than questioning it, he winks at Louis.

“It’s going to take more than one drink to get that out of me,” he says in that throaty drawl, and oh, this is definitely going to be fun.

♦♦♦

An hour and several drinks later, Louis’ initial concerns have evaporated. There is no way angelic, lovely Harry could be any threat to him. It may have been how easily he answered all of Louis’ questions, so far showing no inconsistencies, but honestly, it was the dimples that won him over in the end.

Still another hour passes before Louis finally admits his name. At first, he refused because he knows the dangers of divulging his identity in his current position, but also a little bit because he liked how mysterious it makes him feel. He supposes there is a reason Zayn calls him dramatic.

Harry, for his part, doesn’t seem to find it strange, but he compensates by calling Louis an array of pet names. They range from common ( _mate_ ) to sweet ( _darling_ ) to outright bizarre ( _numby wumby honey bear_ ). It is after this last one that Louis gives in.

“For God’s sake, Harold, please stop,” he begs in exasperation, smiling a bit afterward to show that he’s kidding. “It’s Louis, alright? My name is Louis.” It’s out before Louis can stop it and provide a false identity instead.

“Louis,” Harry repeats in a murmur, and the way he says it wipes away any ghost of regret he has over revealing a piece of his real self. “Can you speak French, by any chance?”

Louis once spent six months conning Liliane Bettencourt — founder of L’Oreal cosmetics and the richest person in France — out of a few million. All that time in Paris made him perfectly fluent, but he can’t exactly share this with Harry. It wouldn’t be proper first date conversation. Not that this is a date, of course. It’s just that the alcohol has made Louis loose and the low cut of Harry’s shirt has him fantasizing about sucking a bruise between the barely visible tattoos. He wonders vaguely if there are more and then promptly decides there must be. Harry gives off that vibe. Now he is left to wonder where else on that lithe body the other tattoos could be, so no one can blame him for getting distracted.

After a beat, Louis realizes a question is still on the table, so he seizes his chance both to impress and maybe fluster Harry a little. He leans in close and lets his lips graze the other boy’s earlobe. “Je veux t’embrasser,” he whispers in his best accent, then pulls back, pleased to see a slight flush on Harry’s cheeks.

Harry must also know French, or maybe he’s just good at reading minds, because he wets his lips and declares roughly, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I saw you reading that paper.”

Feeling smug and more than a little turned on, Louis raises an eyebrow. “What’s stopping you?”

Harry’s eyes widen, obviously affected, but he doesn’t immediately jump his bones like Louis expects. Instead, he clears his throat and shifts in his seat. “I read somewhere that public displays of affection aren’t culturally acceptable here,” he admits, shrugging sheepishly. “I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

Louis is both frustrated and hopelessly endeared by this confession. Who even says things like that? But before he can be too disappointed, Harry downs the rest of his drink and stands up.

“I have a room upstairs,” he offers. “Plenty of privacy.”

Perhaps this is a bad idea, but Louis left his inhibitions behind sometime after the fourth drink, and he is also dying to know if Harry tastes like that margarita he’s been sipping. He hops off his stool and says, “Let’s go.” Grinning, Harry grabs hold of his wrist and leads them quickly to the elevator. In an ideal world, this would mean they were home free, but the lift’s walls are made of crystal, which means they are still visible to the other hotel guests. Which also means they can’t ravish each other just yet, unfortunately. Harry maintains his grip on Louis’ wrist, rubbing absent-minded circles on his skin, and the tension builds through the fifteen floors it takes to get to Harry’s room.

As soon as they make it inside, Louis pounces. He traps Harry against the door and pulls him into a heated kiss. Maybe it’s because this feels slightly illicit because of Harry’s comment, but as their lips slide against each other, Louis can feel his heart pounding in his chest. He is delighted to find that Harry does indeed taste like his drink, a delicious mixture of salty and sweet. When he finally licks into the other boy’s mouth, Harry makes a noise in his throat that makes Louis come alive.

He slides his hands to Harry’s stomach and tries to work the buttons on his shirt. “Off, off,” he chants, and Harry obliges before helping Louis out of his own top. They somehow end up beside the bed and the only items of clothing left are their underwear. Moonlight pours in through the large windows, casting Harry in a pale glow. Louis takes a deep breath and slows down for a minute, eager to admire this impossibly beautiful creature before him. Just as he suspected earlier, Harry’s body is littered with ink. Running his hands over a few designs, he finally settles on a particularly large one on his abdomen. The urgency has faded a bit, and Harry regards Louis patiently as his fingers trace the shape carefully.

“Of course,” he lets out with a laugh. “Of course you have a moth tattooed on your stomach.”

The comment doesn’t really call for a reply, but Harry speaks up anyway. “Technically, it’s a butterfly.” There’s a pause as his words sink in. Harry evidently feels the need to explain further. “Because of the wing pattern? And like, the shape of the antennae.”

Another pause.

“Thank you, Steve Irwin,” Louis says. “Is this a seduction tactic?”

“Depends. Is it working?” Harry shoots back as a dimple appears in his cheek.

Instead of responding, Louis leans up and captures his mouth again. The mood is less frantic now, but the way their bodies are currently aligned could change that fairly quickly.

“You are so ridiculous,” Louis states between kisses.

“You are so hot,” Harry offers in turn, and that does it for Louis. He puts a hand behind Harry’s neck and settles his lips against his ear once more. He times the motion with an upward thrust of his hips, which causes a moment of delicious friction and makes Harry groan in pleasure.

“Shut up and take me to bed,” Louis practically growls, and neither of them says much more after that.

♦♦♦

It is still dark when Louis wakes up. He takes a few seconds to remember where he is, and a few more to wonder why he is awake. He isn’t exactly a light sleeper; once he dozes off, he’s pretty much dead to the world until morning. However, he has a somewhat uneasy feeling in his chest, and he thinks maybe his subconscious was trying to tell him something. Carefully, Louis looks over to check on Harry.

But he’s not there.

Louis sits up, suddenly alert. He runs his hand over the sheets. They are still slightly warm to the touch, which means Harry hasn’t been gone too long. Where could he have gone? Surely he didn’t completely leave the hotel… Then Louis shakes his head. Why should he care, anyway? This was a one-night stand, and as he’s been telling his friends for the past two weeks, this is a business trip. He can’t let himself get worked up over a boy when he has more important, more expensive things to think about.

Now fully awake, Louis decides he should probably head back to home base. He tells himself it’s a good thing Harry is gone. This way, he doesn’t have to explain himself if he gets caught leaving.

“Get it together,” he tells himself impatiently. “This was just an easy, meaningless shag. You need to focus now.”

Right. And the first thing he needs to focus on is finding his clothes. He glances around the room, trying to see through the darkness, when he notices something on the bedside table. He peers closer and sees that it is a bright pink Post-it note. Shaped like a heart, no less. Curiosity piqued, he reaches out and reads the words carefully printed upon the note.

_In case you wake up and find me gone, I had to run out for a bit. Be back soon x_

There is no signature, but it is obviously from Harry. Who else would have Post-it notes in that shade handy? Louis chuckles to himself as he tries not to be endeared. None of his previous hook-ups have ever left him notes before. Then again, none of his previous hook-ups were anything like this. When he first spied Harry at the bar only hours ago, Louis saw someone to spend the night with. He didn’t expect to actually kind of like the boy, and he certainly didn’t expect a gesture like this. Though the details are fuzzy with the alcohol that remains in his system, he knows at least that tonight was… nice. Unexpected, but nice. Even so, Louis knows he cannot stay. Not only because it isn’t his style, but because he has a task to fulfill. No distractions allowed.

He grits his teeth and crawls out of bed, dressing quickly and heading for the door. He only pauses to make sure the coast is clear, to ensure that Harry is not, in fact, returning at this very moment. But the hallway is empty, and Louis is definitely not disappointed. He checks once again that he has everything he came here with, then heads off toward the lift without a backward glance.

Outside, it is brighter than Louis expected, and he finally glances at his phone and sees that it is just past six. The heavy curtains were misleading, then, and he stayed out much later than he originally thought. He also has a string of texts from his friends. Most are from a frantic Liam, who, in a shocking twist, actually took longer than even Louis expected to realize he had gone rogue. He ignores those and instead opens WhatsApp, relieved to see Niall online. He probably stayed up to hear from Louis. Quickly, he types out a message to let him know that he is headed back. Not thirty seconds later, he receives a response.

_covered for u with li. he and zayn are both asleep now. you owe me big._

With that, Niall signs off, probably to doze off at last. Louis sighs. He knows Liam will give him an earful, but he’ll deal with that when the time comes. He decides not to take a cab to the flat. The walk isn’t long, and at this hour, the Arabian air is not yet mercilessly hot. Setting off toward his destination, Louis tries to keep his mind blank. There will be no pining over pretty boys when there are pretty diamonds to obtain.

By the time he reaches the flat, it is nearly 7 a.m., and he figures not even Niall would have stayed up to meet him after that last message. He tries to be quiet so as not to disturb anyone’s slumber. He considers going back to bed, but the walk over here left him feeling too wired for sleep, so he figures he should make himself some tea instead. He’s somewhat thrown, however, when he approaches the kitchen table to find Niall already sitting there and looking somewhat grim.

“Good morning. We need to talk.” The subdued tone does not suit the usually cheery lad, and Louis is about to ask why he is even still awake when Niall slides his iPad toward him in the universal sign for take a look at this. If Louis expects an explanation, he is sorely disappointed, because Niall proceeds to stand up and then bustle around the cupboards seemingly in search of something to eat.

“Niall, are you alright?” he asks somewhat exasperatedly as he reaches for the tablet. Maybe it holds some answers. He scans the screen then promptly lowers it, even more frustrated now. “This is in Arabic. How am I supposed to read Arabic?”

“I read Arabic,” comes the muffled reply, for Niall is apparently too intent on breakfast to stop his search and make eye contact.

Forgetting the early hour and the fact that Zayn and Liam are asleep, Louis lets out a loud groan. “Niall, this is ridiculous! If you’re going to be a cryptic little shit, that’s fine by me. But in case you’ve forgotten, we have a job to do so—”

“Not anymore, we don’t.” Niall’s head finally pops out from where he’s inspecting the refrigerator. He throws a meaningful look at the tablet on the table, then raises his eyebrows at Louis like he is supposed to understand what all of this means. And any other morning, that might be possible, but this particular morning is not one where Louis is really in the mood for mind games. He takes the tablet in hand once again and walks (maybe stomps a little) over to Niall while shaking the tablet impatiently in the younger boy’s face.

“Listen here, you impossible Irishman. You have about five seconds to explain yourself before I shove this overpriced device right up your arse.” Louis knows he can be intimidating when he wants to be, so he puts as much force into the words as he can.

However, he momentarily forgets that Niall has known him since childhood, and therefore he is practically immune to Louis’ scare tactics. As it is, Niall chuckles and pats Louis consolingly on the shoulder. “Now, Lou, we’ve talked about this. You know I love you, but I really don’t want you to put anything up my arse. I wouldn’t let anyone do that, to be fair,” he amends quickly, then there’s a beat when he seems to consider something. “Except maybe Zayn. But seeing as Liam would probably kill me with his bare hands, I’d rather not risk it,” he finishes off, grinning in that crazed manner Louis knows so well.

If anyone else treated him like this after he threatened them, Louis would definitely unleash his world-famous wrath. Niall is different, though, because the years of loyalty and friendship between them have created a soft spot for Niall in Louis’ heart, a fact that the former boy often uses in his favor. Stupid, impossible Irishman. Of course, Niall isn’t completely evil, and he proves that by gently tapping the edge of the screen.

“You know how I like to keep up to date with what’s going on wherever we are,” he begins to explain. “So I’ve been watching the news every day in case something interesting came up. After you texted saying you were heading back, I checked the web just out of curiosity, and wouldn’t you know, the Winston Diamond made the headlines. Apparently, it was stolen sometime early this morning.” He says this all in a rather matter-of-fact tone, as if the damage is done and there is no way to fix the matter. Which, obviously, is the case, but Louis’ pride is at stake. He can barely register the fact that someone else was after his diamond, let alone that someone _beat_ him to it. He simply cannot believe it.

Yet, as he scrolls through the electronic article again, he notices that the diamond is indeed pictured there, alongside a shot of various policemen and a harried-looking Ben Winston. So it is true. The diamond is gone.

Louis scrubs a hand over his face. “Dammit,” he whispers roughly. All that work for nothing. This has never happened to him before. He feels like he let his boys down. Maybe if he hadn’t gone out last night… but no, that wouldn’t have changed anything. Meeting Harry had nothing to do with this. Did it? Suddenly, Louis starts to wonder if this is part of some greater scheme. What if someone knew they were after the diamond, and hired Harry as a distraction for him so they could take the diamond for themselves? He did appear genuine to Louis, especially after his thorough scrutiny, but maybe he was just an exceptionally good actor.  In any other world, that would seem way too far-fetched, but in Louis’ world, stranger things have happened.

Then again, those are the kind of things that happen to people with enemies. And Louis doesn’t really have enemies, not like some of the other thieves he knows. He makes it a point to never double-cross anyone, and though he has a reputation for being tough, he is always fair. He can’t think of anyone who would go to such lengths to fool him. Maybe he is just being paranoid. This is probably just a random occurrence. After all, the auction was well-publicized throughout the world, and the diamond is famous for its value. His team can’t have been the only people who wanted to get their hands on it.

Evidently, Niall has made peace with the subject, because he is currently shoving some sort of pastry in his mouth. “It’s arigh’, Lou. ‘Ad to happen to us eventually, righ’?” he says as some stray crumbs fly from his lips. The sight makes Louis laugh at last, and he tugs Niall’s ear in response.

He sets the tablet down on the counter and hesitates as he ponders his next move. “Should I wake Zayn and Liam to tell them the news?” he asks, still trying to come to terms with the fact that they’ll be leaving without their prize. Like any good best friend, Niall reads his unspoken emotions and waves him off. “Nah, I’ll take care of it. I already texted Josh and asked him to fly in earlier to get us home sooner. We’ll be out of here by this afternoon.” He points toward the bedrooms and gives Louis a knowing look. “You look right knackered, mate. You should get some rest until then. I’ll let you know when it’s time to go.”

The ends of Louis’ lips tug up half-heartedly, and he feels a rush of affection towards his friend. “Thanks, Nialler,” he says sincerely. “You’re the best.” Niall, cheeseball that he is, points his fingers into guns and winks at Louis in response. Rolling his eyes, Louis heads off to his room without another word. As he strips down and settles into bed, he starts to feel the exhaustion in his limbs as well as the disappointment in how this trip turned out. However, he decides not to feel sorry for himself, because it just isn’t his style, and focuses instead on getting the sleep he knows he needs. He is about to close his eyes when his phone rings from where he set it on his nightstand. He picks it up and unlocks it to see a text from Niall.

_youre still the best thief in t world ! love u bro_

Louis doesn’t reply, but he knows Niall doesn’t need him to do so. He only wanted to make Louis feel better. With a small smile on his face, Louis drifts off to sleep feeling thankful for the wonderful people he managed to find and keep in his life.

♦♦♦

A few hours later, the four of them are piled into Josh’s small plane and headed back to London. They travel this way for surveillance reasons, but even though they have no stolen goods to smuggle this time, it would have been yet another blow to leave Dubai in a commercial flight like everyone else. Besides, the familiarity of this aircraft is comforting, as is the infinite stock of booze Josh always seems to have. Once everyone has a drink in hand (minus the pilot, of course), they settle into easy conversation. At first, Louis was worried that Liam and Zayn would take the news of the diamond badly, but much like Niall, they shrugged it off. Louis suspects they’re putting on a brave face for him, especially Liam, but he is grateful nonetheless. He has more or less accepted this turn of events, but it would be much more difficult to do so if his friends were upset.

After a few minutes of idle chatter, Louis sets his gaze on Liam. “Alright, Payne. What do we know about the culprits?”

Liam’s fingers hover over his keyboard as he tries to look innocent. “What are you talking about, Louis?” he asks in a light tone. “Niall read you the article. The police have no suspects yet.”

Raising an eyebrow, Louis gestures toward the brunet’s laptop. “Are you pretending that you haven’t been clacking away at that thing since we got in here? Or that I didn’t see you earlier with your phone glued to your ear, asking a lot of questions in languages I don’t understand?” He shot him his best evil genius grin. “Give it up, Liam.”

Knowing that he’s been caught, Liam lets out a long breath. “You know you’re the only one of us who’s still just bilingual?” he asks with a hint of disapproval. “Louis, you’re the best thief I know, but you can’t keep coasting by in this business with just English and French. At least let Zayn teach you some Mandarin, it’s an up-and-coming language and he’s gotten really good!”

“Thanks, babe,” Zayn interjects cheerily. Liam shoots him a fond look and squeezes his hand. Louis groans.

“Fine, I’ll learn bloody Mandarin! Just tell me what you’ve found out,” he prompts once again.

That seems to be enough for Liam, because he quickly launches into an explanation of his findings. “Well, it looks like the break-in happened around five o’clock this morning. As we know from our surveillance, the vault which held the diamond was protected by a field of lasers. They also added security guards in the last 24 hours that were to open the vault and check on the diamond every hour. Apparently, Ben Winston doesn’t trust cameras because the feed can get hacked,” Liam pauses and looks at all of them gravely before continuing. “I just want to point out how impressive this all is. Whoever did this would have had to incapacitate several armed guards, dismantle the lasers and break into the vault that our insiders deemed unbreachable.”

Louis crosses his arms. “Well, at least these people were worthy competition,” he says begrudgingly.

But Liam shakes his head, and his face takes on an awed expression. “That’s the thing, though. It was a one-man job.”

At that, Louis and Niall roar in protest, and even Zayn looks incredulous. There is no way that a single person managed to do everything Liam just described. Unless the person was Superman, in which case Louis is even more intrigued.

“It’s true!” Liam insists. “Look, my sources tell me that no evidence was left behind. Not a hair, not a fingerprint, nothing. Except for a little figurine of a butterfly.” As if sensing their incoming protests, Liam puts his hands up defensively. “I know, I know, why a butterfly? So I looked further into it. It seems there have been a string of robberies in the past three years where a similar figurine has been left behind. It’s a pattern. In fact, it’s reached the point where people just call this guy The Butterfly. And before you ask,” he tells Louis as he opens his mouth to do just that, “nobody has ever admitted to working with him. There is virtually no other information about this guy.”

A silence settles over the group as they ponder everything Liam told them. The Butterfly, Louis thinks to himself. What kind of mastermind calls himself The Butterfly? What a random—

Then it clicks. Harry’s tattoo. The fact that he was gone when Louis woke up. The timing fits, it all fits. He even asked about the bloody diamond in the bar, how could Louis have been so _stupid_?

“Idiot,” he chides himself under his breath.

“What was that?” Liam asks.

And right, they don’t know about Louis’ activities the night before. Well, it’s not like he can keep it from them now. “I… I kinda have something to tell you guys,” Louis confesses, and then he spills the whole story. The more he talks, the dumber he feels. He really should have put it together sooner, and it’s not like he didn’t suspect anything! His gut instinct was to suspect Harry as soon as he approached him. Only because he was pretty did Louis push those qualms aside. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

When he finishes, he expects the mother of lectures from Liam. He wouldn’t even protest, he knows he messed up. Yet when he looks back at his friend, he is examining Louis closely, void of emotion. Despite his bodybuilder appearance, Liam is much more brains than brawn. Louis remembers when they first met: he and Niall had been working together professionally for about two years and they had just recruited Zayn to their team. In the early days, their operation wasn’t as flawless as it is nowadays, and they made a few rookie mistakes. Eventually, they caught the attention of a prominent investigator, and it was when they were brought in for questioning that they met the investigator’s son, who was interested in the trade. As soon as the young man caught sight of Zayn with his sleek leather jacket and paint-stained fingers, he dropped the tough-guy act he’d been sporting, presumably to impress his dad, and became a bumbling idiot. It took some coaxing, but eventually the three of them gained Liam’s trust and were able to convince him to throw his dad off their trail. Ever since then, Liam has been their intel man, and Louis has yet to meet someone smarter or someone better equipped at finding things out.

And as good as Liam is with machines, he has always been a master at reading people as well. Right now, it seems he can tell how much Louis already loathes himself for his actions last night, so he appears to decide against reprimanding him. Instead, he goes into business mode.

“You said his name was Harry, right?” he says as his fingers fly over the keyboard once more. “Any other personal information?”

“Sorry, I was a bit busy sucking his dick to ask for his family tree,” Louis snaps, then immediately regrets it. Liam is not at fault here, he can only blame himself for this one. “I really am a bloody idiot,” he says, mostly to himself.

The typing stops. “Lou, look at me for a sec.” Louis raises his head and meets Liam’s gaze. “Do you trust me?”

Easy answer.

“With my life,” Louis confesses truthfully. Liam must not have expected such sentiment, because his lips quirk up slightly.

“We’re gonna find him,” Liam promises. “And we’re gonna get our diamond back.”

Glancing around, Louis sees that Zayn and Niall have determined looks on their faces. Not for the first time that day, he is glad to be surrounded by such great people. In that moment, he knows they can achieve great things. They’ve done it before, and they’ll do it again, which is how he knows that this war is not yet over. “The Butterfly” may have won this round, but Louis Tomlinson does not and will not go down without a fight.

♦♦♦

Three months later, Louis’ initial determination is wearing thin. At first, he and Liam searched far and wide, talking to old friends and sketchy contacts to try and find The Butterfly. He refused to call him Harry, even in his own mind. It seemed way too personal, like adding salt to the wound. So Louis kept it clinical, following any and every lead Liam dug up. The other two boys weren’t really interested in the task; they helped at first, but they lacked the commitment Liam and Louis showed. Zayn had his art, and no one really knew how Niall spent his free time, not even Louis, and he was his flatmate. Whatever it was, it kept him busy enough to eventually opt out of the search. Besides, it wasn’t in Niall’s nature to dwell on such things, and when they continually came up empty-handed, he kept nudging Louis to let it go and move on.

Unlike his carefree friend, however, this was a matter of pride for Louis. He refused to give up, and even when Liam was at his wit’s end and dropped out in frustration, Louis continued to look. After going so long without any new leads, though, he was starting to feel the effects. He hadn’t thought about anything else for weeks, and going so long between heists was always hard on him. It was not in Louis’ nature to be inactive, and tracking someone down did not bring the same thrill as chasing a priceless object. One day, Niall came into Louis’ room with a stack of mail and proceeded to drop some kind of invitation in his lap.

“Greg James from New York sent this,” Niall said unceremoniously. “He cordially invites you to a gallery opening in the Metropolitan Museum of Art this Friday. You’re going.”

Louis examined the invitation incredulously, reading the same information Niall just spewed, then glared at his friend. “You realize it’s a crime to open someone’s mail without their permission, don’t you?” he mock-scolded him while raising his eyebrow.

“You realize I’m going to commit a crime on _you_ if you don’t leave the house?” Niall shot back, mimicking his tone.

Once Niall bought Louis the plane ticket himself, there really was no point in arguing, which is why Louis now finds himself in New York City in a fancy suit at a fancy party surrounded by fancy rich people. It has been a while since he last saw Greg, whom he befriended once when he was aiming to steal a piece from this very museum. Greg is the curator, and they enjoyed some flirty banter during their encounters and have kept up a friendship ever since. He still has no idea that Louis is the one responsible for the theft of one of their most valuable Egyptian artifacts, but that’s neither here nor there.

As he sips champagne, Louis scans the room for Greg, as he has yet to greet him. There are so many people here, and Louis imagines that the curator has lots of hands to shake before he seeks out him out. Even if he did enclose a personal note with Louis’ invitation that said he was looking forward to catching up. No matter. Louis has his glass of champagne to keep him company in the meantime. He is looking around to see if he can just catch a glimpse of Greg’s tall figure when his line of sight falls on an entirely different, yet just as familiar, tall figure. The headscarf is absent tonight, but Louis would recognize those curls anywhere, even styled as they are in a sort of Beethoven imitation that is somehow still alluring, if not mildly infuriating. Right when he is wondering if he should make a quick getaway or if he should march right up and punch him in the face, the tall figure catches his eye and promptly heads in Louis’ direction.

“Good evening, Mr. Tomlinson. What brings you to this fine event?” And if Louis was startled by the sight of Harry One-Night-Stand-Turned-Arch-Nemesis in New York City of all places, he is slightly panicked at his use of Louis’ given name. Only his most trusted friends know his true identity, for it would be unwise for a seasoned criminal like himself to use anything but an alias in public. For months, he has wondered exactly why Harry foiled him in their first encounter, and now he really considers that, despite his harmless exterior, he might actually have it in for him.

Harry seems to sense Louis’ churning emotions, because he suddenly drops the suave act and whispers urgently, “I need to speak with you.”

The words _no way in hell_ are about to slip out of Louis’ mouth when he really considers the man before him. If he thinks about it, Harry had plenty of opportunities to hurt Louis. He had Louis at his most vulnerable, and even then, he showed no malice. In fact, Louis recalls how… sweet he was, even in bed. Besides, he clearly knows a lot about Louis, and he hasn’t come to find him at his flat or made any kind of threat on his life. Maybe he should at least hear what the boy has to say.

“Fine,” he acquiesces, trying to sound as detached as possible. “Not here, though. Too many witnesses if this goes sour.”

Harry’s eyes widen comically. “I’m not planning on hurting you,” he says quickly.

Louis quirks an eyebrow. “I wasn’t worried about _my_ safety,” he says silkily, and when Harry finally seems to realize Louis is not exactly happy with him, Louis feels like he’s gained a bit of an upper hand. “Shall we?” he says, gesturing grandly towards a nearby door that leads outside. Nodding, Harry follows him out.

Once they are clear of the crowd and in the open air, Louis makes his move. Harry may be larger, but Louis has the element of surprise on his side, which is how he manages to pin Harry to the wall without allowing him to move away. He tries not to think about the last time they found themselves in a similar position, focusing instead on the task at hand: intimidating Harry into submission.

“You have about thirty seconds to tell me what the fuck it is you’re playing at,” Louis breathes dangerously. “Who sent you after me? Why are you doing this?”

“Please, Lou, you’ve got it all wrong! I’m not after you at all, I’m one of the good guys.” Harry’s tone isn’t exactly alarmed, but he is clearly concerned with Louis’ reaction. Good. He needs a little fear in his life, cheeky kid that he is.

“Listen, Harry,” Louis tries again, then narrows his eyes. “If that is even your name—”

“It is!” Harry interrupts. “I didn’t lie to you before, my name is Harry. Harry Styles.”

Louis scoffs. “Right, and that doesn’t sound like an alias at all.” Taking a deep breath, he continues. “How did you even find me here?”

Harry shudders out a breath. “I’m the one who told Greg to invite you,” he says slowly. “Simon Cowell told me you knew him. And I kind of maybe wanted to see you again.” Harry seems slightly embarrassed to admit that last part, but Louis barely registers it, because suddenly things start making sense. He hasn’t actually met Simon, but everybody in this world knows who he is and the kind of influence he has. Back in the old days, Simon was the best of the best, and even though he retired from the life, he still knows everything about everybody. And if Harry knows him…. well, that means he is connected. Very connected. And that he is, in fact, one of the good guys like he claimed earlier. Though Louis is still on guard, he feels less like a fish out of water knowing the kind of company Harry keeps. He keeps his grip on the younger boy, but loosens it enough so that isn’t menacing anymore.

As if sensing his change of heart, Harry seizes his opportunity to gain favor. “Simon speaks very highly of you, I’ll have you know. He’s been keeping tabs on you over the years. We both have. He says you and your team are the best in the business.” Here, Harry stops and winks at Louis. “Personally, I think I could give you a run for your money, but no one can deny that you have loads of talent.”

In spite of himself, Louis laughs at that comment. “Is that so? You think an upstart lad like you can beat a professional like me?”

Some of the mischief makes it back into Harry’s eyes. “I already did.”

With that, Louis groans. “Too soon, Styles,” he says, but he finally releases Harry fully. They look at each other for a few long moments, and despite everything has transpired between them, Louis still feels a spark of attraction. From the way Harry’s eyes keep flickering to his lips, Louis knows he’s not alone.

“I hear you’ve been looking for me,” Harry lets out eventually, and there is a hint of hopefulness in the way he says it.

Needless to say, Louis is a bit thrown by the sentiment. There is still so much he doesn’t know about this boy, most of all what his intentions are. He doesn’t even know why he’s even talking to Harry now, only that he really wants to know the truth. Determined to get it no matter what, Louis doesn’t acknowledge Harry’s comment and instead asks the question that’s been haunting him. “What do you want from me, Harry?” It comes out somewhat desperately. “Has this all been a game to you? Am I just supposed to accept the fact that you basically insulted my honor? Do you sleep with all the boys before taking their toys, or is it just me?” With every word, he gains more momentum, and he meets Harry’s steady gaze fully for the first time tonight. “Why did you do it?”

At that, Harry spreads his hands in a helpless kind of manner. “I never meant to hurt you, Louis,” he says. “Honest. I didn’t even mean to sleep with you, it just sort of happened.” He swallows before addressing him again. “Simon has been my mentor for quite some time now. I won’t bore you with the details of that, but basically, he took me in because he saw potential in me. He taught me everything he knew and I’ve been stealing ever since. I guess I got a bit arrogant, after all that. How could I not? The best man in the business shared all his tricks with me, and I had yet to fail at completing a job.” He laughs quietly, like he’s ashamed of his attitude back then. “I thought I was unbeatable, you know? But then we heard about your job in Monte Carlo.”

Ah yes, Louis remembers Monte Carlo. One of his team’s finest moments, if he is being honest. It was about two years ago now; he and the boys managed to steal millions of dollars from a casino while posing as installers of a security system. After that, a lot of fellow thieves reached out to him to inquire after his services, but he declined each one politely. He could never leave his boys behind, even if he was the one who came up with the plan that time. Registering that Harry has begun to talk again, Louis extracts himself from his memories.

“I remember Simon bringing it up,” Harry remarks. “He said maybe one day I could be as great as you.” The corners of his mouth tug up ruefully. “I must admit I was quite jealous. I always thought Simon considered me the best. I mean, I was his apprentice. But after that, it just became a personal challenge. I had to beat you.”

“So it was a game,” Louis says flatly, and he doesn’t know why he feels let down. He should have seen this coming.

That spurs Harry on, though. “You’re right. At first, it was a game, but… but then it changed.”

“Why?” Louis asks incredulously. “What made you change your mind?”

For a moment, Harry shuffles his feet somewhat uncomfortably. Then, he gives a shy smile. “It was you.”

Okay, that is not what Louis expected. “Me?” He tries to sound disbelieving, but it comes out somewhat flattered.

“Yeah,” Harry agrees. “You. I went to Dubai thinking I’d show you up, but after I saw you guys working together, it suddenly didn’t matter as much what Simon thought. You’re more than just thieves, Louis, you guys are like family. And it just struck me, is all. And when I saw you at the bar that night, I was… enchanted.” Louis snorts at that, and Harry beams wider. “No, it’s true, I swear! You really blew me away. I mean, you’re really fit, yeah? But you’re also witty and clever and not like anyone I’ve ever met. I dunno, I can’t explain it.” He falls silent again, seeming to gauge Louis’ reaction.

“Didn’t stop you from humiliating me, did it?” Louis says somewhat accusingly, wanting to get a rise out of the younger boy.

Rather than taking the bait, though, Harry smiles a secret kind of smile while shaking his head. He leans in to whisper in Louis’ ear reminiscent of the way Louis did to him last time they met, and Louis can’t help but shiver as Harry’s words tickle over his skin. “I didn’t do this to humiliate you, Louis. I did it to impress you.” He presses a kiss to Louis’ cheek and then, without another word, turns away and heads back to the party.

It takes Louis a few seconds to process the whole encounter, and even longer to register the new weight in his pocket. Curiously, he reaches in and pulls out a large and unmistakable gem, and if that isn’t enough, there is a note attached on the same outrageous heart Post-it as in Harry’s hotel that night. He quickly puts the diamond away (it is contraband, after all), but keeps the note in hand and sees that it reads _You can trust me_ with a phone number written carefully underneath it. Louis breathes an incredulous laugh. How is it that this boy, whom he hardly knows anything about, keeps surprising him at every turn? And why does he find himself liking it so much?

Because there is nothing Louis likes better than a challenge, and Harry certainly keeps Louis on his toes. _Not bad for a guy named after an insect_ , Louis muses, somewhat impressed both by Harry’s display of skills in Dubai and by his demeanor tonight. He somehow made Louis reevaluate his assessment as the scum of the earth through his words and of course the gift of the diamond. It’s not often that Louis changes his mind about people, but for Harry Styles, he might be willing to make an exception. Before he really gives in, though, he has one more test in store. Extracting the secure phone he always carries with him, Louis dials the number on the note.

One ring.

Two.

_Come on, Styles. Don’t let me down._

Three rings.

Then finally:

“I take it you got my note.”

Louis lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I did.”

“And?”

“And…” Louis stops for the briefest moment, thinking of all that has happened between them. Not just tonight, but overall. He thinks again that if Harry wished him harm, he would already have done something about it. Clearly, the diamond is meant to be a peace offering, and really, who is Louis to deny him? “... I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Styles.”

From the other end, Harry lets out a chuckle, and it sounds as relieved and buoyant as Louis suddenly feels. “I think you’re right, Lou.”

Louis doesn’t know when he started beaming, but he finds he doesn’t really care at this point. Not one to pass up a teasing opportunity, he speaks again. “Rule number one of all my friendships, Harold: I’m always right.”

Another laugh comes after that, and this time Louis joins in.

♦♦♦

When Louis returned from New York, he told the boys about Harry, and how they have nothing to fear from the famous Butterfly. At first, they were skeptical, but once Louis produced the diamond Harry had slipped him, Zayn and Niall seemed to accept it. Only Liam remained disapproving, but then again, when did Liam ever approve of Louis’ decisions? He still agreed to secure their communication methods whenever they got in touch, so Louis took that as a win.

Life goes on as usual: the perfect opportunity presents itself and the boys chase their next payday. Meanwhile, Harry contacts Louis on at least a weekly basis, depending on what he has going on. He has his own heists to pull off, but he still seems to make time to send a text, even if it is just a combination of emojis.

Shortly after New York, the boys are stationed in London, once again in between jobs. Louis is enjoying the rare extra hours of sleep when he is suddenly startled by a yell.

“What the fuck is Iron Man doing in our flat?”

Louis must still be dreaming, or else Niall has actually lost his mind this time. Huffing to himself about the ungodly hour, he ventures out of his room to see what the commotion is about. He stops short when he takes in the sight at the entrance of their flat.

A full Iron Man suit stands just inside the threshold, and bizarrely, Louis’ first thought is to wonder if it is a replica or a real prop from the movies.

“Earth to Louis!” Niall sings out, waving a hand in front of his face. “Do you know where this came from?”

And as soon as Niall asks, Louis knows. There is no telltale pink Post-it, but it doesn’t matter, because he remembers a conversation he had with Harry where he talked about his favorite superhero, and this can’t be a coincidence.

Without replying to his flatmate, Louis takes his phone and opens his Snapchat app, capturing the Iron Man suit with the caption ‘was this your doing?’ and sends it off to Harry. Not 10 seconds later, he receives a response from haz_banana with a shot of some random city skyline and the words ‘should probably change your locks’ with a kissy emoji. Niall glances at the screen before the picture fades and rolls his eyes.

“Tell your boyfriend to just send flowers next time,” he calls over his shoulder as he heads to the kitchen to find something to eat.

“Not my boyfriend!” Louis retorts, but either Niall doesn’t hear him or chooses to ignore him.

From then on, what was a tentative friendship becomes a full-blown exchange of texts and Snapchats and one dubious call from a burn phone while Harry rode on the back of a camel. (Christ, the boy is strange.) And naturally, Louis has to return the favor for the suit, so he flies to Paris for September’s Fashion Week and nabs the entire fall collection of Burberry scarves (after they’ve walked the runway, of course— Louis isn’t completely heartless). He also manages to find the elusive Harry with some help from a certain Liam Payne, and so he ships the scarves to Amsterdam where Harry is staying. He knows they have arrived safely when he receives a snap of Harry lying in the pile of scarves, a blissful expression on his face, no caption necessary. And if Louis’ stomach jumps at the sight of Harry shirtless on expensive fabric, it doesn’t mean a thing.

Their weird brand of flirting, as Niall likes to call it, keeps up when they each retaliate with a new stolen item. A week after the scarf episode, Louis wanders into his walk-in closet to find an unfamiliar garment bag adorned with a pink Post-It that reads _You talk in your sleep. —H x_

Inside is David Beckham’s original uniform from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and Louis is pretty sure his face will crack from how hard he’s beaming. Vaguely, he calls out to Niall that they should really bulk up their security system, then promptly slips into the kit. Hey, if he can’t be an actual footballer, he can at least look like one.

Louis takes his time after that one, searching for the perfect gift to sweep Harry off his feet...er, in the most platonic way possible. They’re just mates, after all. Granted, they’re mates who have seen and touched each other naked, but that is inconsequential. This is strictly a friendship now, an alliance, even. Any ally in this business can come in handy, Louis tells himself, and it is not a crime to be attracted to said ally. He should know. Crime is his life, after all. Following an in-depth discussion of music tastes, Louis makes his next move. A few days pass before Louis receives a rare phone call from Harry, but before he can utter much more than a greeting, Harry is talking faster than Louis’ ever heard him.

“You didn’t. You didn’t actually steal the [original studio recording of Street Fighting Man](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303497804579238550068715652).”

Even though Harry can’t see him, Louis’ face bears a proud smirk. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? Like it? Louis, I want to marry this record. Then I wanna divorce it so I can marry you for getting it for me.”

Cue charged silence.

The moment ends quickly, though, taken over by Harry’s excitement over his gift. Once again, he recounts the story of how the record came to be, and despite having heard this before, Louis hangs on to every word. He likes bringing joy to those he cares about.

According to their unspoken agreement, it is Harry’s turn to steal something for Louis next, but as October comes and goes, he doesn’t receive any surprises. He still talks to Harry, so he isn’t really disappointed. He just got used to finding strange things around his London flat, that’s all. It occurs to him that he hasn’t stolen anything besides Harry’s gifts since they started this whole thing, but for once, the realization doesn’t cripple him with immediate restlessness. In fact, he feels more relaxed than he has in years.

His friends don’t say much about his thing with Harry, beyond the occasional ribbing from Niall and the knowing glances Zayn casts his way when he excuses himself to read a text from Harry. Liam even goes out of his way to tell Louis that he’s never seen him so content. It’s an alarming observation, yet somewhat comforting. Louis has been a full-time thief since he was eighteen years old; he never really planned for what would come after this. He never thought his life could have more meaning past the next heist. Lately, the thought has crossed his mind that maybe there is something more out there. Maybe it would be possible to be happy doing something else.

Existential thoughts aside, Louis is still wondering what is taking Harry so long to send him something new. He is considering throwing in the towel and outright asking him at this point, but he doesn’t want to be the first one to give in. It turns out he needn’t have worried, because the next morning, he makes his way into the kitchen to find that he is not alone.

“Harry?” he asks incredulously, and the taller boy turns around and grins.

“Oh hey, Lou!” he cries gleefully.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Christ, if he’d know Harry was going to show up, he would have at least done something with his hair.

Harry doesn’t seem bothered by it, as he merely shrugs. “I’m making pancakes. You’re out of milk, by the way.”

Just then, Niall bounds in. “I smelled food and came running to see if you’d burned it yet. Oh, you must be Harry.” The Irish lad shows no alarm at the sight of a stranger in their flat, nor does he seem bothered that Harry would have had to break in to enter, and therefore that their security system needs an update. Again. “I’m Niall,” he supplies, extending a hand.

Graciously, Harry accepts it. “Nice to meet you. Sorry I snuck into your house.”

“No worries,” Niall assures him. “Any friend of Lou’s is a friend of mine. Besides, you won me over the second you made something edible.” He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t ever let this one near the ingredients. He could ruin the simplest dish just by looking at it the wrong way.”

Alright, enough of that. “Have you quite finished, Niall?” he chides, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the table. “Stop trying to sabotage me! Harry, don’t believe a word he says,” he says as they leave him to finish breakfast. Harry shakes his head with something like affection in his eyes. Louis doesn’t stare at all.

Breakfast is an interesting affair, with Niall asking Harry about his life and Louis asking Harry what exactly he’s doing here. Harry answers everything Niall poses, but ignores Louis in favor of sending him winks and dimpling away. He definitely needs new friends.

When they finish up, Niall claims he needs some exercise and heads out for a run around the neighborhood. Resigned to the fact that Harry will only tell him what he’s up to in his own time, Louis decides to joke a little. “So are you my present this time?” he asks, while secretly thinking it is the best one yet.

Harry taps Louis on the nose playfully. “Cute, but no. I actually have a favor to ask of you.”

“Anything,” Louis lets slip, his tone a little too honest for his liking. Harry must notice, but he doesn’t react past dimpling further. Caught, Louis clears his throat and attempts to smooth over the moment. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“I’m pulling a heist in town,” Harry begins. “As you know, I usually work alone, but I need your help on this one. Would you—I mean, is that too much to ask?”

Louis laughs lightly. “Don’t be ridiculous, H. Of course I’ll help you out.” He pinches the boy’s cheek for good measure, then claps his hands together. “So what’s the take?”

Seeming delighted by Louis’ agreement, Harry takes a while to respond. “Oh. Right. Well, to be honest, I’m still waiting on some details from a source. But we’ll need to meet quite regularly to work out a plan. I take it you have nothing going on?”

“Nope,” Louis confirms. “I’m all yours.” There he goes again, slipping in how thoroughly charmed he is by this boy. Harry can’t be too bothered, though, because he pulls Louis into a hug. As Louis tentatively wraps his arms around Harry’s waist, it occurs to him that this is the first time they’ve really touched since Dubai. It feels really nice. Harry gives off a clean scent, with a hint of something fruity. Maybe mangoes. He can’t ponder it too far before Harry lets go, a hint of pink in his cheeks. How intriguing.

It’s Harry’s turn to clear his throat. “Um. So. I’ll text you, okay? We’ll meet up about the job. Soon.”

It suddenly occurs to Louis that he doesn’t want to see him go. Not just yet. Scrambling for an excuse, he tells Harry, “Why don’t you stay? If you don’t have any plans, that is. Niall should be back soon. We can play Mario Kart or something.” While he waits for a response, Louis absently gnaws at his thumbnail. Maybe he’s overstepped some kind of line, but Louis is nothing if not a risk-taker.

He needn’t have worried, it seems, because Harry just smiles broadly. “That sounds nice, actually. Thanks, Lou.”

“You won’t be thanking me when you lose,” Louis sings out, and they share a laugh before heading to the den to wait for Niall.

About a week in, their “meetings” become much less about business and more about grabbing a bite to eat or taking a walk around town. London’s quite big, after all; they find plenty of things to do. It strikes Louis as odd that Harry never brings up the heist, but after he receives enough responses like “I’m still waiting for some information” or “we’ll get to that part later,” Louis stops asking. And really, he’d rather just spend time with Harry, who’s just as charming as he was in their first meeting, and just as silly as he was in texts. Days go by, and Louis sort of … forgets about jewels and artwork and adrenaline rushes. All of that takes a backseat to brown curls and tattoos and legs that won’t quit. He finds that he rather likes it that way.

Before Louis knows it, it’s the middle of November, and Harry is coming around almost daily now. They’ve known each other for almost half a year now, and Louis is maybe definitely falling for his one-night-stand-turned-arch-nemesis-turned-best-mate. Somewhere along the way — in between their text conversations and now their hang-outs in person — Harry has quickly wormed his way into Louis’ life, and he trusts him as much as he would Zayn or Liam or even Niall. In fact, all of the boys have met him now, and they all took to Harry much like Louis did. They all even offer to help with Harry’s London job, but Harry kindly refuses their offers.

Truth be told, that is when Louis begins to wonder what exactly Harry has planned. Anytime the subject is breached, Harry brushes it off. Meanwhile, the two of them continue to participate in suspiciously date-like behavior. If only for his own peace of mind, Louis finally decides to get to the bottom of it.

“Alright, Styles, enough playing around,” he says one afternoon when they’re enjoying lunch at The Ivy, since Harry insisted on treating him to a proper meal instead of just trips to the coffeeshop or the local pub. Louis kind of wants to snog him silly for it. He has questions, however, and he won’t rest until Harry answers them. “You’ve been in town for God knows how long, and we have yet to discuss anything about this so-called job. What gives?”

For some reason, that makes Harry look nervous. His fingers start twitching on the tablecloth, and he worries his bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds before he seems to give in. “Lou … there is no job,” he exhales somewhat shakily. “There never was. I just wanted an excuse to see you.”

Somewhat stunned, Louis regards the boy across the table. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined he’d end up here. Yet there they are, blue eyes peering into green, trying to find the words to say everything he’s feeling. What he comes up with is a simple, “Why?”

Harry heaves a sigh. “You know, when I first met Simon, I was just a kid. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life, just that uni wasn’t really for me. I’d been doing a bit of traveling, met some really cool people. Actually, I ended up meeting some circus performers, and I somehow got roped into their act. They taught me how to juggle and stuff, and I became rather good at the trapeze!”

This is quickly devolving into a classic Harry story, which took twice as long to reach any kind of conclusion. As much as Louis is inexplicably enchanted by them, he really wants to know where Harry is going with this. “Get to the point, love,” he prompts gently.

“Sorry,” Harry says sheepishly. “Anyway, Simon saw me perform and thought he could use someone with my skills, and that’s how he got me into this stuff. At first, it was like this weird hobby that I never expected to be good at, then it just kind of snowballed. But I never really planned on doing this forever.”

 _That makes two of us_ , Louis thinks, glad to know they are of the same mind in that respect.

“So I’ve been doing this for almost five years now,” Harry keeps going. “Always kind of waiting around for a reason to settle down. Be a proper adult, you know? And like. I think I’ve found something. Someone.”

Whoa, wait a second. Harry’s found someone? Since when? Why hasn’t he mentioned anything to Louis? And is it just him, or did the temperature in the room suddenly rise? Louis hitches in a breath, trying to regain control over himself. He didn’t expect the sheer panic that run through his body with Harry’s confession, but all at once it becomes clear. _He_ wants to be the reason Harry settles down. Or at least stays in one place long enough to determine if this thing is for real. But what if Harry doesn’t feel the same? He said he found someone, and maybe he means Louis, but what if he doesn't?

Just as Louis is wondering if he’s missed his chance, Harry seems to read his thoughts yet again and rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “That someone is _you_ , Lou.”

Oh. _Oh_.

Before Louis can even form a response, maybe reprimand Harry for making him freak out like that, Harry moves out of his chair and kneels in front of Louis’ chair. He wastes no time in guiding Louis’ mouth to his and yeah, kissing is probably a much better use of their time. It feels like their entire relationship has built up to this one moment, and it’s frankly pretty fucking fantastic. Harry’s lips are as soft as Louis remembers, and he takes the opportunity to sink his fingers into those curls he likes so much.

When they finally pull back to catch their breath, Louis smirks. “You know, today marks the six-month mark of our meeting in Dubai,” he observes shrewdly.

“You didn’t think I’d forget our anniversary, did you?” Harry teases.

“Shut up,” Louis murmurs, tugging a ringlet that has freed itself from Harry’s scarf of the day. “Did you steal me something good this time?”

Harry’s hair bounces as he shakes his head firmly. “I’m done with stealing, I think. I’ve found something better.” And without further comment, he kisses Louis again. This one lasts longer, and is maybe a shade too intimate for a public setting, but he’s too happy to care at this point. This time, when they draw back, it’s Harry with the smirk on his face. “Maybe I will steal one more thing,” he declares.

“Oh yeah? What’s that, Curly?”

Harry nuzzles into Louis’ neck before providing an answer. “Your heart,” he proclaims, and from anyone else, the sentiment might fall flat, but Harry is just so damn earnest that it just comes across as truthful, so that all Louis can really say is “It’s already yours” before kissing him the dumb grin off the younger boy's face.

 


End file.
